Things are always changing in the IT job industry. And while we may not be completely recovered from the recession, the outlook is good for IT professionals over the coming months. Here’s a look at the latest tech employment trends for spring 2015.
This year started out strong for hiring in IT, and that trend is expected to continue at a rapid pace during Q1 and Q2 for 2015. According to a survey, 87 percent of CIOs plan to add more staff in the coming months, both to fill vacant roles and to add new positions to their IT departments.
There’s even more good news here for IT pros — as with any hiring explosion, current employees are likely to see increased salaries, new benefits added, or both. The same will hold true for new hires as the competition rises to recruit top talent.
Social recruiting is firmly entrenched in the IT job industry, and in 2015, employers will use social channels combined with mobile technology to seek out more passive candidates. In response to the talent shortage, more employers are looking for great candidates they can win away from their current employers.
Strong passive candidates often receive several networked requests per week, and the frequency of passive recruiting is expected to increase. This strategy will also serve to drive salary offers higher, in order to convince talent to make the move to a new company.
As both salaries and benefits rise, and more organizations engage in passive recruiting, there will be increasing pressure for companies to hang on to their existing talent. Businesses will need to focus on retention in order to develop or keep a competitive edge, as increasingly attractive employment packages will encourage more job-hopping among the best talent.
Many companies are going above and beyond the competitive salary, bonuses, and perks that are traditionally offered. Engagement strategies such as group volunteering and team-building exercises such as corporate hackathons are being used to increase collaboration, and offer more meaningful careers to IT talent.
Employer-provided training and education had been falling off in recent years, but this practice is experiencing a resurgence as employers seek to add value for candidates and existing employees, and increase retention. This is an especially popular strategy for millennials, who prefer to feel engaged and valued in the workplace.
Providing education and training for employees encourages loyalty, as IT talent feels that an investment in training is an investment in their future. Within a learning environment, IT employees can grow along with the company and take advantage of additional opportunities, to prevent stagnant careers and dead-end positions.
During the last period of extreme growth in the IT jobs market, there was an increase of IT pros moving from full-time employment to contracting or freelancing. This trend is expected to return in the coming months.
Contracting can offer a number of benefits for talented IT pros, including a higher hourly rate, the opportunity to work on a wider variety of projects, and the ability to take extended breaks between assignments without obligation. For employers, the benefits of working with IT contractors include the ability to obtain specialized services, a reduced hiring hassle, and greater value per employee dollar — as contractors and freelancers don’t require benefits. It’s a flexible and convenient arrangement for both sides of the equation.
Beginning in the spring of 2015, more HR departments will begin using big data to manage IT talent. The ability to gather and analyze data on a variety of factors — including skills, behaviors, productivity, system usage, and workflow — will allow HR to keep up with education and training efficiently, while continuing strong engagement and retention practices.
Big data is more accessible than ever, and more companies are able to derive real-world usage from various big data tools and platforms. With the addition of big data to HR, organizations can facilitate communication and collaboration, and more easily work in cross-department capacities that tie IT’s outputs into the rest of the company in meaningful, actionable ways.
Clearpoint, a Houston staffing firm, can place IT gurus with the best companies in Houston. Find out how the personal attention we devote to our clients and job candidates will help in the placement process.
Here are just a few of the “hot jobs” Clearpoint is working on this week. Please apply for anything that is a fit for your skills and experience, and as always please feel free to share with your networks.
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